Doomsday. The end of the world as we know it. Some say it will end in fire, some say in ice. Some say it will end with a bang, some with a whimper.

In this title in the acclaimed Future Chronicles series of speculative fiction anthologies created by award-winning author Samuel Peralta, fifteen authors confront the Apocalypse, the end of days, the undiscovered country from which no traveler returns.

The Doomsday Chronicles features stories by Hugo, Nebula and World Fantasy award-winning and bestselling authors Ken Liu (the Dandelion Dynasty series), Seanan McGuire (the InCryptid series), plus thirteen more of today's top authors in speculative and science fiction.

"Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress"
Is the world really falling apart? Is the ideal of progress obsolete? Cognitive scientist and public intellectual Steven Pinker urges us to step back from the gory headlines and prophecies of doom, and instead, follow the data: In seventy-five jaw-dropping graphs, Pinker shows that life, health, prosperity, safety, peace, knowledge, and happiness are on the rise. Learn more

Enter your mobile number or email address below and we'll send you a link to download the free Kindle App. Then you can start reading Kindle books on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

About the Author

Created by Samuel Peralta - series editor and a Best American Science Fiction & Fantasy notable author in his own right - The Future Chronicles is the #1 bestselling anthology series that brings together work from visionary new voices and from the grandmasters of modern speculative fiction.

Its unique take on major science fiction and fantasy themes - A.I., time travel, dragons, robots, aliens, zombies, immortality, galactic battles, cyborgs, doomsday - has made it one of the most acclaimed anthology series of the digital era.

Top customer reviews

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

For a world so focused on living, we certainly have a strange fascination with death. But not just your run-of-the-mill dying... No, we have to picture the world exploding around us, often with monsters chasing us down at the end of days. I view it as a form of reverse psychology: If we can imagine the absolute worst things that could destroy the world, they'll never happen... Right?

I certainly hope the visions shared by these fifteen authors never come true.

The Doomsday Chronicles is the newest incarnation of Samuel Peralta's Future Chronicles, and if it's not the best one to date, it's certainly up there. Starting with a poem and continuing though fourteen stories, the authors give us a glimpse of what Doomsday might look like.

While all of the tales are good, there are five that stood out and replayed in my dreams - and occasionally my nightmares. The first is Ann Christy's "A Mother So Beautiful." Darker than the other books I've read by this author, this twisted tale shows us how the actions of a sociopath lead to the end of life as we know it.

"Lockdown" by Saul Tanpepper introduces us to an unknown virus that starts a zombie-type apocalypse. I loved this story enough that I immediately logged into Amazon and bought the other books in the same universe... I want to learn what happens next!

James Knapp has unintentionally created a new marketing idea with his chogg hats in "At Depth's Door." Picture facehuggers, except these keep your head warm. Slight side effects include a stinger being inserted into your spine and possible loss of limbs. This is not just a horror story... It also shows how humans will sometimes accept atrocities around them - even knowing that it's wrong - just because it's easier than reaching for the unknown.

"Mia + Vegan Cannibals" by S. Elliot Brandis gives us a tongue-in-cheek tale of vegans and the consequences of nutritional fads. I couldn't stop laughing while reading this! This is an unapologetic story that needs to be read with a sense of humor.

The collection closes with "Staying Behind" by Ken Liu, a story that tackles the difficult themes of humanity, faith, and choice. When you can live forever, uploaded into a data center, are you really living? While this story can be read as a standalone, it's also a prequel to another story, giving the reader the opportunity to see if this really is the start of the end, or just another step in evolution.

I honestly can't think of a tale that I disliked in this collection, and the only reason that I'm not breaking down each story individually is that if I did, my review would be way too long! Each story gives us a unique take on a possible Doomsday, showing death and destruction in ways I had never before imagined. Even stories with more common themes hold a twist, something to give that extra edge that keeps your attention and interest. If you've ever dreamt of the darkness that might be waiting for us in the future, I suggest picking up this book.

While the thought of living forever passes through our minds at some point as we live our mundane lives, the thought of how we might perish should be the first consideration, as these authors show in this chilling, thought provoking and spine-tingling anthology. How about a head warmer? Oh! Part of the deal is letting it tap into your spine to control you. What about insects the size of cars? This story will raise the hair on your arms. Comets, religious 'freedom' , and many other scenarios that you never imagined are all here and expertly written by an incredible group of authors. I can't think of even one story that was not up to par or didn't leave me wanting to explore the storyline further.Sam Peralta has a gift for choosing the perfect stories for the Future Chronicles and the different worlds that could be. Each anthology gets better and better. The opening poem written by Mr. Peralta sets the tone perfectly and is mind grabbing in its own. Highly recommended!

I didn't know what I was getting myself into on this one but what a wild ride it takes you on each stories different, unique and gripping. Horror,thrills and mental games of this could happen. Awesome book by great authors.

Samuel Peralta’s Future Chronicles has become a revolution in short story fiction, in terms of science fiction, fantasy, and alternate history, and The Doomsday Chronicles is no exception. The stories we get in this apocalyptic collection are at the same time epic and poignant. There are stories that will leave you feeling in the dumps, and stories that will beating your chest for the future of humanity. So many of these are truly some of the best words written by some of the authors involved that I would rank this in the top few of the Future Chronicles books released thus far.

I’ll highlight a few of my favorite stories, but I think when the reviews start pouring in, every story will get a mention or two.

The standout of the entire collection, for me, was KJ Colt’s “Remembering Hannah.” The story just wrecked me. When I was in middle school, required reading was “Flowers For Algernon,” by Daniel Keyes. While Colt doesn’t copy Keyes here, there is some similarities in tone and execution. Both stories are heartbreaking and will stay with me for different reasons, but in this anthology, Colt takes the end of the world and puts it in the frame of Alzheimer’s, a disease that so many of us can relate to.

I also really loved “Lockdown” by Saul Tanpepper. As a teacher, I think this one hit home just a bit for me. In recent years with school shootings in the news, we’ve had to prep for the scary eventuality that someone unwelcome may be inside the school. But what happens when that lockdown lasts past the school day...when the threat isn’t as simple as a single shooter? When you can’t even trust the parents of your own students…it really makes for a frightening tale. Tanpepper really amps up the creep factor with small children in the room, making this story perhaps the “freakiest” of the bunch.

Finally, I’ll also note “Dragonflies” by Seanan McGuire. This story is perhaps the most “sciency” of the sci-fi stories in the anthology, positing that with an increase of oxygen in the earth’s atmosphere, insects and arachnids grow in size to rival humans as the dominant species on the planet. The story just got me early on when the narrator calmly and matter-of-factly states that her parents were both killed by giant praying mantises. Wow.

All in all, Samuel Peralta did a killer job putting this anthology together. I really can’t pick a story I didn’t like, and I imagine most reviewers are going to feel the same way. Each story is unique and has its own special flavor as it approaches the end of the world.

Another awesome collection of stories put together by Samual Peralta. Different visions by some outstanding writers give you a terrifying look at possible futures for our Mother Earth. The Dragonfly story, Lockdown and A Mother so Beautiful are especially creepy for me. I started this book yesterday and just had to read until I finished, a genuine page-turner. I found all of these alternate doomsdays completely plausible and it scare the heck out of me.